  
6
Compound
meter
Meter signatures usually fall
into two categories. Simple meters normally
divide the beat into two equally faster notes. In contrast, compound
meters normally divide the beat into three. It is the
upper number of a meter signature that determines whether a meter
is simple or compound. The top number of simple meters is usually
2, 3, or 4. The most commonly used compound meters have as their
top number 6, 9 or 12. Meters with
6 as their top number are considered compound
duple meters--they consist of two groups of three;
meters with 9 as their top number are considered
compound triple meters--three groups of three;
and meters with 12 as their top number are considered
compound quadruple meters--four groups of three.
The following chart provides a clear idea of how the most commonly
used simple and compound meters are grouped. The eighth notes are
beamed according to the basic beat.

I especially want to draw your
attention to compound duple (6/8) and simple triple (3/4). As you
can see, each of those two meters consist of six eighth notes. Note
how differently they are grouped, though. The 3/4 meter consists
of three groups of two eighths; the 6/8 meter consists of two groups
of three eighths.

Following are a few examples
of compound meter and two alternate ways in which they might be
counted.
Listen to the following melody in compound duple:
Look at the following rhythmic examples. The first is a generic
rhythm (no meter), the second shows how the same rhythm would be
grouped (beamed into basic beats) in 3/4, while the third example
has the rhythm grouped in 6/8.

Following is a rhythm written without meter.
On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite the rhythm in 3/4 meter and
then in 9/8 meter beaming the notes together into basic beats where
possible. Also add bar lines in the correct places. Keep in mind
the 3/4 meter should be grouped into 3 groups of 2 eighth notes,
and the 9/8 meter should be grouped into 3 groups of 3 eighth notes.



Triplets
Triplets are
used in compositions when the composer occasionally wants the beat
subdivided into three instead of the usual two. If triplets are
used extensively, it is wiser to write the music in a compound meter
instead of a simple meter. Keep in mind that a group of notes marked
as a triplet take up the same amount of time as two regular notes
of the same value.

Listen to the triplets in the dramatic trumpet
fanfare for the hymn "God of Our Fathers."
  
|